Soap-package.



F. MCM. KNIGHT.

SOAP PACKAGE.

APPLICATION FILED APII.22. I91's.

Patented N 0V. 21, 1916.

FRANCIS HCMASTEB KNIGHT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

son-PACKAGE.

Specification. of Letters Patent.

Patented Nnv. 2,1, 1916.

Application led April 22, 1916. Serial No. 92,813.A

T o all whom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS MoMAsTER KNIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois', have invented new and useful Improvements in Soap-Packages, of which the following is the specificatlon.

This invention relates to sanitary soap packages and particularly to means Whereby I combine the sanitary single use feature with the comfort and convenience of the use of a full-sized cakeof soap, as will be readily appreciated. No sanitary soap dispenser or other sanitary apparatus on the market 1s as comfortable and convenient for use as a fullsized cake of soap which actually fits the hollow of the hand and can be rubbed therein.

' and hotels.

In attempting heretofore to combine the sanitary feature of an individual use w1th the more convenient soap cake, small soap cakes are customarily found in Pullman cars These cakes, however, though much too small for comfortable and convenient use, still contain much more soap than is necessary for a single wash, or for a single days use, and thus introduce a large percentage of waste unless melted down and recast, which at once destroys the sanitary feature.

It is an object of my invention to overcome the disadvantages and defects above pointed out by the production of a soap cake which is of full size and comfortably fits the hollow of the hand, and which, therefore, may be rubbed about in the hands, but whichat the same time contains only enough soap for a single wash or for a single days use in a hotel, as desired.

It is another. object of my invention to provide an article of the character descrlbed -which may be made in sections which will nest together and which may thus be shipped from the factory, etc., in small bulk.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of a soap cake produced according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view thereof on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view thereof. Fig. 4 is a crosssectional view showing the method of stacking the halves. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating in detail a locking tongue for holding the halves together. Fig.n 6 is a modification showing another method for holding the halves together. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a modification of the soap cake. Fig.` 8 is an elevationA thereof. Fig. 9 is an elevation of a modification of the invention.

`According to my invention I provide a form 1 (see Fig. 9) substantially the size of a full-sized cake of soap, z'. e., large enough to comfortably fit the hollow of the hand. This form is preferably made of inexpensive material which may be thrown away after the soap is used, such as, lfor instance, stiff waxed paper, pressed fiber, papier mch, or other equivalent materials. The form comprises two halves 2 fitted one over the other, as shown in Fig. 2, and preferably provided with locking means such asfor instance the tongue 3 which fits into a slot 4, the tongue 3 being placed upon the outer member and the slot upon the inner so as to prevent the separation of the form when assembled.

Another means is illustrated in Fig. 6 where a small projection 5 is made upon the inner member which fits into a corresponding depression 6- upon the outer member when the halves 2 of the cake form are assembled.

The form may contain advertising matter for a hotel or any other inscription or decoration desired. After the form is assembled it may be dipped in liquid soap as often as is necessary to cause it to be covered with a coat of soap of desired thickness. If the form is provided with advertising or decorative matter it is preferable that the soap coating be transparent so as to permit the decoration to be readily seen. This method of manufacture does away with molding and other expensive processes of' manufacture and makes the soap cake an eX- tremely cheap article for the reason that nothing `is required except the dipping of the form to turn it out, the layer of soap being so thin that particularly if the soap is transparent, irregularities and imperfections in it will be rendered inconspicuous and unnoticeable by the decorations upon the form underneath.'

In Fig. 4 is illustrated an advanta eous feature incident to a slightly di erent method of manufacture, namely, that in which the halves 2 of the form 1 are dipped individually. When so made the outer halves and the inner halves may each be nested together as indicated in Fig. 4, and when so nested take up very little room and may be conveniently shipped. The halves which have been individually coated may be readily assembled at a hotel or other point of use into the complete cake shown in Fig. 1 rapidly and by unskilled labor, it simply being necessary to take an outer half and an inner half and press the same together, whereupon the locking means illustrated in Figs. 2, 5 and 6 will automatically operate to retain the halves in assembled position; these means, however, being not absolutely necessary because the tight it of the overlapping portion of the halves will cause the same to remain assembled with suicient rigidity to resist ordinary use.

In Figs. 7 and 8, I show a round soap cake made in the same manner as above described, except that each half 2 is provided with screw threads 7. In assembling this v cake it is merely necessary to put the halves together and give a short turn to the screw threads on one half with those engaging upon the other to lock the same together. This form of the device is one which readily lends itself to advertising in an attractive and appealing manner, for the halves 2 may be made of Celluloid, papier mch, wood or other comparatively inexpensive and stiff material and thus when the soap is washed oil form an attractive boX which may serve to keep the guests collar buttons, etc., the idea being that the guest will use the soap oli the box and thereafter keep the box, which contains advertising matter of the hotel or the like.

Fig. 9 shows another modification of the invention comprising a hollow one-piece form like a china egg, or the like, which is designed to be coated as above indicated and thereafter either thrown away or returned to be recoated with soap.

Claims:

l. A sanitary soap cake comprising a hollow core made up of two halves detachably fitting together and covered with a thin layer of soap' suicient for a single wash,

said halves of said core being adapted to stack together, whereby they will take nlp a minimum space and can readily be pac ed and shipped.

2. As an article of manufacture, a shell coated upon one side with a thin layer of soap, said shell being adapted to be assembled with another'similarly coated shell to form a sanitary `soap cake, comprising a hollow core covered with a layer of soap sufficient for a predetermined number of washings.

3. A still shell of wax paper or the like, coated upon its convex side with a thin layer of soap and adapted to be nested with other similar shells to form a compact package.

4. A pair of stiff shells of wax aper or the like coated upon their convex sides with K a thin layer of soap and adapted to be nested together, or to be assembled, so as to make a hollow, closed sanitary soap cake, substantially as described.

5. A stiH hollow form of wax paper, or the like, large enough to comfortably fit the hand when used for washin comprising two halves tightly but remova ly lfitting together and adapted to be nested when separated and decorated upon its exteriorwith advertising matter or the like, and a thin layer of transparent soap throu h which the advertising matter may be plainly read,

completely coveringv said form, the whole comprising a sanitary soap cake having thereon sufficient soap for a predetermined number of uses after which the hollow form FRANCIS MCMASTER KNIGHT.

Witnesses:

I. V. CURRAN, SEAsTmN AUSTIN. 

